AVONDALE, Ariz. – The Outlaw is back. The name is not.
Kurt Busch returned to Sprint Cup racing at Phoenix International Raceway at high noon Friday, bringing a sort of closure to the long and winding road that has been the latest chapter in his roller-coaster racing ride.
Busch's No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet was the 11th car to hit the track for the first round of Friday practice for Sunday's CampingWorld.com 500. The 75-minute practice marked Busch's first official on-track time since his reinstatement this week from a NASCAR suspension.
After finishing practice in 17th, Busch said it felt good to have crew members come up to him -- even some he didn't know -- to say "Welcome back" and shake his hand.
"Everything feels good," he said. "The seat, the belts and just the love from the crew guys. It's been pretty cool just the way the garage feels like a fraternity. It's been nice to see good friends."
And what did it feel like to put his gloves on again and get back behind the wheel?
"That feeling," he said, "was home."
As a nod to a new start, Busch replaced his "Outlaw" nickname above the car's driver door with his signature, a simple but potentially profound statement.
Busch said earlier in the week that returning to the cockpit of his car "means the world to me" and promised to make every effort to put the team in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He remains eligible for the playoffs despite missing the season's first three races. He would need to win and be in the top 30 in points by the Chase cutoff after the race at Richmond in September. Regan Smith was the No. 41 substitute driver during Busch's absence.
Although the race will be Busch's first with the new season's rules package, he tested a car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the new setup, so he won't be driving blind this weekend. In fact, in the early minutes of Friday's opening practice, he had the fastest speed of 38 cars.
"As far as him getting in the car and going fast and the car being capable of that, I don't even worry about that," said Greg Zipadelli, SHR's competition director. "They were really fast in the Vegas test. He'll be ready."
Zipadelli said Busch's return gives the team – and the entire SHR group -- a sense of relief it hasn't had since Busch's Feb. 20 suspension in connection with a domestic violence claim by his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll.
He was suspended by NASCAR after written arguments supporting a protection order issued against him were released by a Kent County (Del.) family court commissioner, who wrote that Busch more than likely committed an act of domestic violence. On March 5, the Delaware Attorney General's office announced Busch would not face criminal charges. NASCAR lifted the suspension this week after Busch completed a remedial program, although he remains on indefinite probation.
"It's certainly been a little bit of a drag for everybody," Zipadelli said. "I know (team co-owner) Tony (Stewart) has worried about it and all the stuff that goes along with it, plus the time and effort it's taken for everybody to stay on top of it.
"Putting Regan in the car and dealing with the seats and the pedals and the steering wheels – all that stuff is just extra effort. And it's not extra effort toward getting us to go faster but extra effort just to survive. Getting Kurt back in the car and the guys not having to do the extra work should be a plus."
